West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1887-11-24

only appropriate for children OF fifteen.
III children are kept i'm school,
O'Clock, no home study except music ought 10
be required OF them. Six hours Of study /.
enough for any child Tho rest OF tho day
ought % be devoted 90 recreation and pure
run. But you cannot begin too early the
moral culture of child or on too com
plete scale. You can look back
upon your own life and remember
what mighty impressions were made
upon you Mt five or six years OF age. oh,
that child does not sit so silent during your
conversation not 10 be influenced by IL. You
say no does not understand. Although much of
your phraseology is beyond his grasp, he is
gathering up from your talk influences which
VIII effect his immortal destiny From
the question he asks you long afterwarl
you find he understood all about what
you were saying. You think the child does
not appreciate that beautiful cloud but it's
most delicate lines are reflected into the very
depths OF the youthful nature, and score OF
years from now you wiii 500 the sIaGow or
Jhat cloud I'M the tastes and reinements de-
Neloped. Tho song with which YOU sing
That child 20 sleep will echo through ali
It's life, and ring back from tho very
arches OF heaven. think that often the first
seven years Of a child's life decides whether IL
shall be irasCible, waspish rude false bypo-
critical, or gentle, truthful, frank, obedient
honest and Christian The present generation
OF men VIII pass Off very much us they
are now. Although tho Gospel is offered
them, the general rule IS that drunk.
ards die drunkards, thieves die thieves.
libertnes die libertines Therefore TO the
youth we turn. You fill the bushel measure
with good corn, and there will be no room for
husks; Glorious Alfred Goodman was con
x ,,eIed at ten years of age. AT Car
Use, Pennsylvania, during the progress
OF a religious meeting in the Methodist
Church, while many were keeling at the foot
OF the altar this boy lnelt in corner of the
church all by himself aud said: precious
saviour, thou art saving others, q, wilt thou
not save mep A Presbyterian elder knelt
beside him and led him into the light. En-
throned Alfred Goodman! Tell me from the
SKIES, were you converted too earlyi But
L cannot hear his answer 1t is
overpowered 10y the hosannabs OF
the tens Of thousands who were brought To
God through his ministry Isaac Watts. the
great Christian poet, was converted mt nine
years of age. Robert Hall, the great BaDtist
evangelist, was converted at twelve wears of
age. Jonathan Edwards, the greatest of
American logicians, was converted at seven
years Of age
Oh for one generation of holy men and
women. Shall it be the nextl Fathers and
mothers, you, under God, are TO decide
whether from your families shall go forth
towards, inebriates. counterfeters, bias
Phemers, and whether there shall be those
bearing your image and carrying your
name fostering in the low haunts of vice
and houndering in dissipation, and making
the midnight OF their lives horrid
with long howl of ruin; or whethe
from your family affairs shall come the
Christians, the reformers the teachers. the
ministers of Christ, the comforters of the
troubled, the healers of the sick. the enacters
of good laws, the founders OF charitable in
stitutions. and great many who shall in the
humber sphere OF toll and usefulness serve
God and the best interests of the human race.
You cannot as parents shirl tho responsi-
olhty; God has charged you with mission
ana all the thrones OF heaven are waiting to
see whether you will do your dutv Ve
must not forget that it is not so much what
we teach our children as what we are i'm their
presence. We wish them to be better than
we are but the probability is that thew
VIII only be reproductions of our
much TO say OF the Spectre of
Broken" Among those mountains travellers
in certain conditions of the atmosphere see
themselves copied on gigantic scale in the
clouds, At first the travellers do not realize
That IL is them selves on larger scale When
they Int hand or move the head this mon
ster spectre does the same, and with such en-.
largement OF proportions that the scene is
most exciting, and thousands have gone to
that place just to behold the spectre
Of Broken. The probability is that some of
our faults, which we consider small and in
significant, if we do not put an end to them
Will be copied on a larger scale in the lives Of
our children, and perhaps dilated aud exag-
not go as far Off as the Broken to see that
process. The first thing in importance in the
education Of our children is TO make ourselves,
by the grace of God, fit examples to DO
copied. The day will come when you must
confront that child, not in the church pew on
calm Sabbath, but amid the CONSERVATION
or the rising dead, and the flying heavens,
and >. burning world From your side that
son or daughter, bone of your bone, heart
or your heart, the fathers brow his
brow, the mothers eye his eye, shall
go forth to an eternal destiny What
VIII .Je your joy if at last you hear their
teet In the same golden highway and hear
their voices in the same rapturous song il
lustrations, while the eternal ages last, OF
what faithful parent could, under God, ac-
complish. l was reading of mother who,
dying, had all her children about her, and
took each one OF them by the hand, and asked
them to meet her in heaven, and with
tears and sObS such as those only know
who have stood by 1ne deathbed of
a good old mother, they all promised
But there was young man Of nineteen who
mad been very wild and reckless, and hard,
and proud, and when she took his hand she
said: Now, my boy, 1 want you to promise
me before die, that you will become a Chris
tian and meet me in heaven The young man
made no answer, for there was so much for him
TO give up if he made and kept such n promise
But the aged mother persisted in saying:
~ GU WON'T deny me that before | 20, will yOui
This parting must not DO forever Tell me
now you will serve God and meet me i'm the
land where there is no parting" Quaking
with emotion he stood, making ND his mind
and hating and hesitatiny, but at last his stub
bornness yielded and hs threw his arms around
his mothers neck and said ayes, mother;
will, / will And as ne finished the last
word OF his promise her spirit assembled /
thank God tho young man kept his promise.
Yes, he kept IT, May God give ali mothers
and fathers the gladness Of their children's
salvation.
For all who are trying to do their duty
as parents i quote the tremendous passage:
Train up a child i'm the way i'm which he
should 60 and when he is old he will not do
part from it." II through good discipline
and prayer, and cody example,
you are acting upon that chilli
you have tho right 70 expect
him 70 grow up virtuOus And how many
tears Of JOY you will shed when you 500 your
child honorable, and just, and truthful, and
Christian, and sucCesylul-a holy man
amid n world Of dishonesty, a goodly
woman in a world OF frivolous preten-
sion. When you come 10 die they
will gather 10 bless your last hours
They will push back the white locks on your
cold forehead and say what a good father
he always was TO mem They viii fold your
hands peacefully and say: Dear mothefl
She is gone. Her troubles are all over. Don't
she look beautiful
Hard on the Counsel.